Take--the burqa or burka or--spell it how you will--the western response is usually a put-down of the women wearing it because they are "being controlled by men", "giving away their power as women" "not liberated" etc, etc,.
If those same women were walking down the same street in bikini's, they would be called "sluts", "exhibitionists" " only interested in the attention of men" and "superficial".
The problem is not the women, whether veiled from head to toe or naked as a jaybird in time square.
The problem is the way we humans like to judge each other based on as few facts as possible.
Judgement, while necessary to survival can be overused.
Not every situation, person, idea or thought requires us to make a judgement--and as night follows day--pronounce sentence.
For one thing, if personal choice is actually considered a good thing, what anyone else thinks about that choice is totally unconcerning.
Blue hair, sleeve tattoos, primer-only cars, wild prairie lawns, tomatoes in the rose garden--choice--if you don't care for it, don't do it. And shut-up about how unnatural, gaudy, low-class, undignified, or unsophisticated they are.
There really is more than one way to skin a cat (don't even look at my cats with this in mind)
We were all raised to learn the difference between right and wrong. My mother was the first to tell you there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything. How to boil an egg, how to sew a hem, how to frost a cake, how to plant corn---and fashion? No white shoes after labor day. No cowboy boots with dresses. No jeans at church. No bra straps showing---ever, ever, ever. Always wear socks or if over 12, always wear hose. Never put black and brown together. Red and pink clash. Match the color of metal of your jewelry. Match the color of your shoes and purse.
My father was more of a no rules man. He solved the fashion dilemma by just wearing nothing but work uniforms--to everything. In the world of right way and wrong way, that was wrong. And he was ok with that. But if something was broken--he could fix it, though often not in my mother's "right" way.
I think, maybe the right and wrong we need to worry about is whether our action actually took something away from someone else. Taking from another--whether their life or their time or their belonging or their opportunity is harm. No harming for personal gain. (That covers my right and wrong rather well.)
Most of the judgements we make about things come from stereotypical thinking. That is easy thinking--dependent, not on actual reasons but upon truth by popular vote.
This type of thinking, with no objective research as given us such gems of knowledge as:
- Red heads have hot tempers.
- All blonde women are dumb.
- All red heads are sluts.
- Christians are homophobic. They are blinded by God and will recruit you if you go near them.
- All politicians are philanders and think only of personal gain and benefit.
- If I wear Goth clothing I'm a part of a rock band, depressed, or do drugs-but probably all three.
- Girls are only concerned about physical appearance.
- Guys are messy and unclean.
- Men who spend too much time on the computer or read are geeks.
- Men who are not into sports are 'gay.
- All librarians are women who are old, wear glasses, tie a high bun, and have a perpetual frown on their face.
- Girls are not good at sports.
- All teenagers are rebels.
- All children don't enjoy healthy food.
- Only anorexic women can become models.
- Women who smoke and drink do not have morals.
- Men who like pink are effeminate.
- All Blacks are great basketball players.
- All Asians are geniuses.
- All Indians are deeply spiritual.
- All Latinos dance well.
- All Whites are successful.
- Asians have high IQs. They are smarter than most in Math and Science. These people are more likely to succeed in school.
- African Americans can dance.
- All Canadians are exceptionally polite.
- French are romantic.
- All Asians know kung fu.
- All African American men are well endowed.
- Italians are good lovers.
- All Muslims are terrorists.
- All white people don't have rhythm.
- All Blacks are lazy.
- All Asians are sneaky.
- All Hispanics don't speak English very well or not at all.
- All Jewish people are greedy, selfish money hungry people.
- Caucasians can't dance.
- Russians are violent.
- All Americans are cowboys.
- All Italians are stylish and sophisticated. They are usually painters, sculptors or fashion designers.
- Germans are Nazis or fascists.
- All Asians are Chinese.
- All Asians speak Pidgin English.
- All Native Americans love to gamble.
- All Middle easterners hate America.
- All Italians are good cooks.
- The people of Netherlands are all promiscuous and drug addicts.
- All Italians are mobsters or have links to the mob.
- All white people are racist.
- Chinese will eat anything.
- All Asians are Communists.
- All Australians are bullies, racists, drinkers and constantly uses swear words. They are also portrayed as lazy and stupid morons.
- People from the Indian subcontinent are generally portrayed as shopkeepers and motel owners.
- All Egyptian women are belly dancers.
- The Japanese are engineering geniuses.
- All South Koreans are gaming nerds.
- Irish are alcoholics.
- All Hispanics are illegal aliens.
- All Indians and Chinese are cheap and live a frugal life.
- All Latinos are on welfare.
- In the US all South Koreans are stereotyped as dry cleaners.
- All Mexicans as gardeners.
- Women always smell good.
- Women take forever to do anything.
- Women are more brilliant than men.
- Women are always moody.
- Women try to work out problems while men take immediate action.
- All women like the color pink.
- All women like dolls.
- Women become cheerleaders.
- Women take 2 hours to shower.
- Women hog the bathroom.
- Women love mirrors.
- Women like make-up.
- Women are fussy about their hair.
- Women work in department stores.
- Women like fashion magazines.
- Women are discrete about intimacy.
- Women do not drive well.
- Women never take chances.
- Women always talk too much on the phone.
- Women actually use only 5% of what's in their purse. Everything else is junk.
- Only women can be nurses.
- Only men can be doctors.
- Men are stronger and more aggressive.
- Men are better at sports.
- Men hate reading.
- Men always have an "I don't care" attitude.
- Men don't get grossed out by scrapes and bruises.
- Men are tough.
- Men are thickheaded.
- Men like cars.
- Men become jocks in high school.
- Men take 2 seconds to shower.
- Men like hats.
- Men could care less if they become bald.
- Men wear whatever is clean.
- Men usually work in messy places.
- Men like car or porn magazines.
- Men brag about intimacy.
- Men take too many chances.
- Men always lose all arguments against girls.
If none of those offended you--I'm amazed. If you have never heard any of them--these days most of us know "all" or "none" statements are usually false, but if you eliminate all or add most, well, I've heard many of statements used like the speaker had just pronounced truth.
Stereotypes are used most by those that think least. Not people with actual neurological problems, but by those individuals who have spent a lifetime relying on their physical attractiveness, class standing or personal opinions spoken loudly with conviction to give them an audience of listeners if not followers.
None of the above statements accurately describe any group of people-and any of those statements might describe individuals from any group.
Stereotyping--some may call it profiling in the name of legitimizing what they do, has only one purpose--to categorize and label people. The cultures of the world have a long history of this to identify us and them, "our tribe" and "other". It was to protect ourselves and our children from people that might eat us or wear us or enslave us.
These days--its more about hierarchy and class-placement and keeping the underdog under.
The problem with using stereotypes is that is stops both the stereotyper and the stereotypee from actually having a meaningful relationship or even communicating.
Once you turn someone into a label--they stop being a person.
They are no longer an individual with their own past full of memories both happy and sad.
They are no longer an individual with hopes and dreams for their future or their family's future.
They become 2-dimensional--flat, cookie-cutters of their group members.
They become "them".
They become "other".
If this country is to survive, If this world of humans is to survive--we have to all become "US".
Namaste to all of us!
http://www.simplypsychology.org/katz-braly.html
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